Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie joined representatives from Pride Toronto to raise the Progress Pride flag at the City Hall podium roof.
“We are today officially proclaiming June as Pride Month in the city of Toronto,” she said. “The Progress Pride Flag is a statement, an affirmation that visibility matters, that representation matters and that the 2SLGBTQ+ community matters.”
McKelvie said that Pride represents the things Torontonians hold dearest, including the right to be treated with respect and dignity and the right to celebrate one’s identity regardless of sexual orientation and sexual identity.
Progress Pride flag raising ceremony celebrated the beginning of Pride Month in Toronto.
June 1, 2023. Photo credit: Daryna Vieniertseva
The City performed flag-raising ceremonies in three locations for the first time: Mel Lastman Square at the North York Civic Centre, Albert Campbell Square at the Scarborough Civic Centre, and the Etobicoke Civic Centre.
Chris Moise, the City Councillor for Ward 13 and openly gay, said Pride is a time of celebration, but it is also a time to protest and demand equality for the LGBTQ community.
“We are always striving to become a safer city for everyone,” he said. “With the rise of transphobia, homophobia and biphobia around the world and even here at home, it is more important than ever that we stand together and defend ourselves and our communities.”
Progress Pride flag raising ceremony celebrated the beginning of Pride Month in Toronto.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, Members of the Council and representatives from Pride Toronto raised the Progress Pride flag at the City Hall, podium roof. June 1, 2023. Photo credit: Daryna Vieniertseva
Almost every day in June, Pride Toronto will have events, including a kickoff party, a beach cleanup, many film screenings, musical performances, and the traditional Pride Parade on June 25.
Grant Gonzales, a former co-chair of Pride Toronto and past president of the Davenport-Perth Community Health Centre, explained why Pride Month is still important.
“Only six months ago, Club Q in Colorado Springs was violently attacked on the eve of the Transgender Day of Remembrance,” he said. “The attack was a sobering and very much a tragic reminder that hatred and physical violence remain, as ever, present and a rising threat to 2SLGBTQ+ people around the world and even in our own communities.”
Progress Pride flag raising ceremony celebrated the beginning of Pride Month in Toronto.
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie, Members of the Council and representatives from Pride Toronto raised the Progress Pride flag at the City Hall, podium roof. June 1, 2023. Photo credit: Daryna Vieniertseva
McKelvie said that Pride Month is for those who are marching for the first time, for those who have been marching for many, many years, and for those who are afraid to march but feel the love.
“There’s no time like Pride Month to show up, celebrate, and reflect on the history of Pride and the valuable contributions you all make to Toronto,” she said.
The flag will continue to fly at City Hall throughout the entire month of June.